GOLM1-regulated EGFR/RTK recycling is a novel target for combating HCC metastasis

MicroRNA-382 as a tumor suppressor during tumor progression

Despite the recent progresses in therapeutic and diagnostic methods, there is still a significantly high rate of mortality among cancer patients. One of the main reasons for the high mortality rate in cancer patients is late diagnosis, which leads to the failure of therapeutic strategies. Therefore, investigation of cancer biology can lead to the introduction of early diagnostic markers in these patients. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in regulation of cellular processes associated with tumor progression. Due to the high stability of miRNAs in body fluids, these factors can be considered as the non-invasive tumor markers. Deregulation of miR-382 has been widely reported in different cancers. Therefore, in this review, we investigated the role of miR-382 during tumor development. It has shown that miR-382 has mainly a tumor suppressive, which inhibits the growth of tumor cells through the regulation of signaling pathways, RNA-binding proteins, and transcription factors. Therefore, miR-382 can be suggested as a diagnostic and therapeutic marker in cancer patients.

Bioinformatic Analysis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cell Lines to the Efficacy of Nimotuzumab

Introduction

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) continues to be a cancer with rising incidence, high mortality, and recurrence rate. The therapeutic effects on HCC are not satisfactory currently. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is an important factor, while anti-EGFR agencies have not shown ideal results in HCC.

Materials and Methods

We tested efficacy of nimotuzumab and EGFR expression on cell surface in six HCC cell lines (Hep 3B2.1–7, Li-7, PLC/PRF/5, SK-HEP-1, SNU-182, and SNU-387). Then, we analyzed RNA sequences of every cell line and performed a bioinformatic analysis. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were analyzed. The data, TCGA-LIHC from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and GSE102079 from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), were used to analyse DEGs of Hoshida subclass.

Results

Hep 3B2.1–7 and PLC/PRF/5 were sensitive to nimotuzumab whereas Li-7, SK-HEP-1, SNU-182, and SNU-387 cell lines were resistant. Then, we compared the DEGs between sensitive and resistant group cell lines. We enriched DEGs in GO and KEGG and performed GSEA in each group. Genes in two groups did not show obvious different expressions in EGFR pathways, while Hoshida subclass of HCC seemed to associate with the efficacy of nimotuzumab in that S2 and S3 showed better therapeutic effect than S1. Therefore, we analyzed genes in human tumor samples which were from TCGA-LIHC and GSE102079. We found that COL1A1, COL1A2, COL3A1, and MMP9 were the focus DEGs of S1 and S2 & S3 related to EGFR.

Conclusion

The efficacy of nimotuzumab in HCC did not show direct relevance with EGFR protein expression and EGFR-related pathway. However, efficacy could associate with Hoshida subclass of HCC. Three ECM genes (COL1A1, COL1A2, COL3A1) and MMP9 were paid attention, as they might play important roles in the curative effect of nimotuzumab in HCC.

STAT1-induced regulation of lncRNA ZFPM2-AS1 predicts poor prognosis and contributes to hepatocellular carcinoma progression via the miR-653/GOLM1 axis

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have drawn growing attention owing to their important effects in various tumors, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Recently, a newly identified lncRNA, ZFPM2 antisense RNA 1 (ZFPM2-AS1), was reported to serve as an oncogene in gastric cancer. However, its function in tumors remains largely unknown. In this study, we identified ZFPM2-AS1 as a novel HCC-related lncRNA, which was observed to be distinctly upregulated in HCC tissues and associated with shorter overall survival. Luciferase reporter and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays suggested that overexpression of ZFPM2-AS1 was induced by STAT1. Functional investigations suggested that the inhibition of ZFPM2-AS1 suppressed cell proliferation, metastasis, cell cycle progression while accelerated cell apoptosis. Mechanistic studies showed that there were two binding sites of miR-653 within the sequence of ZFPM2-AS1 and the levels of ZFPM2-AS1 were negatively correlated with miR-653. In addition, ZFPM2-AS1 could reverse the suppressor effects of miR-653 on the proliferation and metastasis of HCC cells by the modulation of GOLM1, a target gene of miR-653. To conclude, we provided a better understanding of the interaction mechanism between ZFPM2-AS-miR-653-GOLM1 axis, which may help develop prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic target for HCC.

MicroRNAs Involved in Metastasis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Target Candidates, Functionality and Efficacy in Animal Models and Prognostic Relevance

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is responsible for the second-leading cancer-related death toll worldwide. Although sorafenib and levantinib as frontline therapy and regorafenib, cabazantinib and ramicurimab have now been approved for second-line therapy, the therapeutic benefit is in the range of only a few months with respect to prolongation of survival. Aggressiveness of HCC is mediated by metastasis. Intrahepatic metastases and distant metastasis to the lungs, lymph nodes, bones, omentum, adrenal gland and brain have been observed. Therefore, the identification of metastasis-related new targets and treatment modalities is of paramount importance. In this review, we focus on metastasis-related microRNAs (miRs) as therapeutic targets for HCC. We describe miRs which mediate or repress HCC metastasis in mouse xenograft models. We discuss 18 metastasis-promoting miRs and 35 metastasis-inhibiting miRs according to the criteria as outlined. Six of the metastasis-promoting miRs (miR-29a, -219-5p, -331-3p, 425-5p, -487a and -1247-3p) are associated with unfavourable clinical prognosis. Another set of six down-regulated miRs (miR-101, -129-3p, -137, -149, -503, and -630) correlate with a worse clinical prognosis. We discuss the corresponding metastasis-related targets as well as their potential as therapeutic modalities for treatment of HCC-related metastasis. A subset of up-regulated miRs -29a, -219-5p and -425-5p and down-regulated miRs -129-3p and -630 were evaluated in orthotopic metastasis-related models which are suitable to mimic HCC-related metastasis. Those miRNAs may represent prioritized targets emerging from our survey.

Copper (II) Ions Activate Ligand-Independent Receptor Tyrosine Kinase (RTK) Signaling Pathway

Receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) is activated by its natural ligand, mediating multiple essential biological processes. Copper (II) ions are bioactive ions and are crucial in the regulation of cell signaling pathway. However, the crosstalk between copper (II) ions and RTK-mediated cellular signaling remains unclear. Herein, we reported the effect of copper (II) ions on the ligand-independent RTK cellular signaling pathway. Our results indicate that both EGFR and MET signaling were activated by copper (II) in the absence of the corresponding ligands, EGF and HGF, respectively. Consequently, copper (II) ions initiate two RTK-mediated downstream signal transductions, including AKT and ERK. Moreover, copper (II) significantly increased proliferation and cellular migration. Our study proposes a novel role of copper in RTK-mediated signaling for growth factor-independent cancer cell proliferation and migration, implying that targeting both the copper (II) and growth factor in tumor microenvironments may be necessary for cancer treatment.

Expression of EGFR in Pituitary Corticotroph Adenomas and Its Relationship With Tumor Behavior

Objective: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) has been found to localize in several human neoplasms and has been shown to have a significant correlation with adenomaigenesis and patient prognosis. EGFR is also overexpressed in pituitary corticotroph adenomas. However, its clinical significance and relationship with tumor behavior, especially tumor recurrence status, remain obscure. The purpose of the present study was to identify the expression patterns of EGFR and its downstream signaling pathway molecules in pituitary corticotroph adenomas and to investigate the association of EGFR with clinicopathological characteristics and tumor recurrence. Methods: Fifty-two sporadic pituitary adenoma specimens and six normal pituitary glands were collected. The expression levels of EGFR and its downstream signaling molecules in each sample were evaluated and quantified using immunohistochemistry and Western blot. The relationships of EGFR expression with clinicopathological characteristics and tumor recurrence status were analyzed. Results: EGFR was overexpressed in 55.8% of the pituitary corticotroph adenomas and in 1 of 6 of the normal adenohypophysial tissues. The expression degree was significantly higher in pituitary corticotroph adenomas than in normal adenohypophysial tissues. In EGFR-overexpressing adenomas, the downstream pathway phosphorylated Erk (p-Erk) was also significantly activated. Moreover, the expression levels of EGFR were positively correlated with the adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and cortisol levels but were not correlated with age, sex or symptom duration. The expression levels of EGFR, phosphorylated EGFR (p-EGFR) and p-Erk were significantly up-regulated in the recurrent adenoma group compared with those in the non-recurrent adenoma group (all p < 0.05). The expression levels of EGFR were strongly correlated with the recurrence-free interval (p = 0.005, CC = -0.31). Conclusion: The expression levels of EGFR and its downstream pathway components were significantly increased in pituitary corticotroph adenomas compared to the levels in normal adenohypophysial tissues. EGFR expression levels were positively associated with the ACTH and cortisol levels and with tumor recurrence status. Pituitary corticotroph adenomas with high EGFR expression levels were correlated with an increased recurrence rate and a decreased recurrence-free interval. EGFR could be used as a promising biomarker for predicting pituitary corticotroph tumor recurrence.

Increased GOLM1 Expression Independently Predicts Unfavorable Overall Survival and Recurrence-Free Survival in Lung Adenocarcinoma

Golgi membrane protein 1 (GOLM1) is a transmembrane glycoprotein of the Golgi cisternae, which is implicated in carcinogenesis of multiple types of cancer. In this study, using data from the Gene Expression Omnibus and The Cancer Genome Atlas, we compared the expression of GOLM1 in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) and studied its prognostic value in terms of overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) in these 2 subtypes of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Results showed that GOLM1 was significantly upregulated in both LUAD and LUSC tissues compared to the normal controls. However, GOLM1 expression was higher in LUAD tissues than in LUSC tissues. More importantly, using over 10 years’ survival data from 502 patients with LUAD and 494 patients with LUSC, we found that high GOLM1 expression was associated with unfavorable OS and RFS in patients with LUAD, but not in patients with LUSC. The following univariate and multivariate analyses confirmed that increased GOLM1 expression was an independent prognostic indicator of poor OS (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.30, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.11-1.54, P = .002) and RFS (HR: 1.37, 95% CI: 1.14-1.64, P = .001) in patients with LUAD. Of 511 cases with LUAD, 248 (48.5%) had heterozygous loss (−1), while 28 (5.5%) of 511 cases with LUAD had low-level copy gain (+1). In addition, we also found that the methylation status of 1 CpG site (chr9: 88,694,942-88,694,944) showed a weak negative correlation with GOLM1 expression (Pearson r = −0.25). Based on these findings, we infer that GOLM1 might serve as a valuable prognostic biomarker in LUAD, but not in LUSC. In addition, DNA copy number alterations and methylation might be 2 important mechanisms of dysregulated GOLM1 in LUAD.

miR-199b-5p-Stonin 2 axis regulates metastases and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition of papillary thyroid carcinoma

Papillary thyroid carcinoma is one of the most fatal malignant endocrine tumors, and the prognosis remains poor because of the lack of effective therapeutic targets. In this study, we demonstrated that the level of miR-199b-5p was markedly downregulated in papillary thyroid carcinoma. The ectopic expression level of miR-199b-5p in papillary thyroid carcinoma cell B-CPAP could inhibit growth, migration, and invasion as well as epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and decreased cell metastasis in vivo, but silencing miR-199b-5p caused a contradictory outcome. Additionally, Stonin 2 (STON2) was identified as a direct target gene of miR-199b-5p. Consistent with the downregulation of miR-199b-5p, the overexpression of STON2 induced the growth, migration and invasion of B-CPAP cells. It was also demonstrated that miR-199b-5p suppressed papillary thyroid carcinoma cell aggressiveness by targeting STON2. Furthermore, the overexpression of miR-199b-5p inhibited cell proliferation, promoted apoptosis, and increased the chemo-sensitivity of thyroid carcinoma B-CPAP cells toward the chemotherapy drug paclitaxel. Finally, in vivo experiments further demonstrated that miR-199b-5p suppressed tumor growth in nude mice. Thus, this study revealed that miR-199b-5p functions as antioncogene miRNA in papillary thyroid carcinoma cells and that the miR-199b-5p/STON2 axis might be a potential treatment option for papillary thyroid carcinoma. © 2018 IUBMB Life, 71(1):28-40, 2019.